| December 2007 |
| Zion Newsletter |
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A Christ-centered congregation, prayerfully,
faithfully, teaching, preaching, and
sharing the true Word of God in a joyful manner.
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What
Are You Getting For Christmas?
Some have
predicted that the Day After Thanksgiving shopping will be down this year due
to some economic indicators: The DOW is down. The price of fuel is expected
only to go up. The housing market is in a slump. The Federal interest rate
has not dropped. It is said that all of these and other signs may affect
consumers confidence this year.
Will we still
get what we want for Christmas?
You and I
will get more than we deserve!
Whether or
not merchants intend to celebrate Christmas or Winter Holidays doesn't change the
value
or the importance of this gift that God continues to give to the world.
In the birth of Jesus you and I receive the priceless gift of the forgiveness
of all our sins and life everlasting!
And even
though it is priceless everyone can afford it! Everyone can receive this gift
with no financing charges and no credit card debt.
Unlike the
toys and gifts that we buy for each other that don't last forever, and some children's toys don't even make it to New Year's before they are broken,
this gift of God's Son
will last forever! It has the best guarantee out there today bar none! It is
the greatest gift of all.
Christmas is
about Christ! Giving is all about Christ!
As a Christian, and as the
Shepherd of the Sheep, it bothers me that if Christians really value God's gift of His Son, why is
attendance on Christmas Day so poorly attended? I know the many excuses
given. "We are at
our relatives house in Iowa or Nebraska."
But don't they have
Lutheran Churches there? Or, another excuse is: "Our family has the
tradition of getting up Christmas morning and opening presents." Then our presents
means more to us than our presence in God's
House! For being the most important Day next to Easter, and as Christians,
choosing not to attend the Christmas Day service says something about our
priorities; and maybe even about our heart. Is our heart in it? To make
matters even worse some Lutheran churches, and other denotations as well, have
decided NOT to have Christmas Day services because attendance is so poor. Can
you believe that? How dare the Christian church not set the example
even though Christians are not doing the right thing by not attending on
Christmas Day.
I pray that the spirit of
Christmas may lie not in the giving of presents, but that your spirit is filled
with the gift of God presence in your hearts and in your lives as we
demonstrate our thanks to Him by our presence in God's House.
In His Service and Yours,
Rev. Ron Oldenettel
Christmas Schedule
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First Midweek Advent Service
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7:00 p.m. Dec. 5
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Theme: Let's Go to Bethlehem with Rachel
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Second Midweek Advent Service
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7:00 p.m. Dec. 12
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Theme: Let's Go to Bethlehem with Ruth
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Third Midweek Advent Service
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7:00 p.m. Dec. 19
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Theme: Let's Go to Bethlehem with David
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Christmas Eve Service
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7:00 p.m. Dec. 24
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Let's Got to Bethlehem
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Candlelight Service with Holy Communion
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11:00 p.m. Dec. 24
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Christmas Day Service
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10:00 a.m. Dec. 25
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